About SFRCalc
The rules of thumb that circulate on investing forums were built for a different market, and at today's prices they either talk people out of deals that are fine or make a weak deal look good because it clears one arbitrary number. SFRCalc was built by someone with more than a decade in real estate to replace the shortcut with the math itself.
Each calculator takes your numbers for a specific deal and shows what it actually does: cash flow, cap rate, cash-on-cash return, DSCR and the rest. What counts as "good" depends on what you're trying to accomplish, and that call is yours.
Who this is for
Anyone evaluating a rental property, a flip, a house hack, or a short-term rental — from a first-time buyer running their first set of numbers, to someone who's done this before and wants a fast, reliable way to model a deal without building a spreadsheet from scratch every time.
How the numbers work
Every calculator shows its full arithmetic, and the formulas and assumptions behind each one are written out on the methodology page, so you can check them against your own spreadsheet. Market figures in the spotlights and data tools come from named public sources, and each article states the source and as-of date for the figures it cites.
What this site won't do
- It won't call a deal good or bad from a single ratio. Where a calculator shows a screening line — the 70% line on the fix & flip and wholesale pages, or a lender's minimum DSCR — it is a reference point shown beside the full arithmetic, not a verdict on the deal.
- It won't give you personalized financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. These are educational tools, not a substitute for your own due diligence or a conversation with a qualified professional.
To be clear about what SFRCalc is: it's a set of free calculators and articles, nothing more. SFRCalc is not a real estate broker, property manager, leasing agent, lender, mortgage broker, insurance agent, financial advisor, accountant, or attorney, and it doesn't act on anyone's behalf in a transaction. See our terms of use for the full picture.
If something here is confusing, wrong, or could be better, we want to hear about it — the goal is for these tools to actually be useful, not just technically correct. Contact us anytime.